Erbil – a seminar with the Directors of the Italian Archaeological Missions and the Directorates of Antiquities of Iraqi Kurdistan

Following the inauguration of the exhibition on the Italian archaeological missions in Iraqi Kurdistan organised by the Italian Consulate at the Media Hall Gallery in Erbil, a seminar was held on 29 and 30 April, which was attended by all 11 Directors of the Italian missions and the Directorates of Antiquities and Heritage of the Kurdish Region.

After Consul Camerota's greetings, the Minister of Tourism and Municipalities Sasan Awmi and the General Director of Antiquities and Heritage Kaifi Ali emphasised the importance of the close cooperation in place and praised the expertise of Italian archaeologists. Ambassador Maurizio Greganti then spoke from Baghdad.

The Ambassador, who has personally visited almost all the missions in Iraq, offered a wide-ranging overview of Italian involvement: the activities carried out in collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome - which has curated the expansion of the museum of Sulaymaniyah, as enriched by the finds discovered in the Paikuli site, also through cooperation funds; the numerous projects of the University of Udine, including the one that led to the establishment of the Archaeological Park of Faida and Khinis; the activities of the University of Milan in the Erbil plain, the most recent projects in the Jebel Zawa by La Sapienza and in Tell Zeyd by the Ca' Foscari University of Venice; the research carried out by the University of Palermo near the Mosul dam, by the University of Pisa in Gird-i Matrab and on the Rania plain, and finally the ISMEO activities in Kalar and Sarqala.

Mr. Federico Di Giovanni spoke from the Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where a special office supports Italian archaeological missions around the world, confirming the growing attention that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs devotes to cultural diplomacy.

The two days of work continued with project presentations by all the Directors of the Italian missions, alternating with speeches by their counterparts from the Directorates of Antiquities, highlighting the fact that the Italian missions are present in all the provinces of the region. On the sidelines, some Universities signed agreements to extend their excavation and research licences issued by the Kurdish authorities.

For further information on the Italian archaeological missions in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as a catalogue illustrating the exhibition and projects, visit the following website: www.archeokri.it